Four Years For Love
by WittyWriter
Summary: SakuXIno, Shojoai.  An alternative universe fan fiction where the Naruto gang is in high school, focusing on the ups and downs of Sakura and Ino’s relationship.  The weather grows harsher as a friendship buds. Flowershops, Rainstorms, Soccer and Romance.
1. Buds

**Title: Four Years for Love  
Chapter: 1/?  
Summary: An alternative universe fan fiction where the Naruto gang is in high school, focusing on the ups and downs of Sakura and Ino's relationship.  
Disclaimer: I only own them on Tuesdays. Every other day of the week they belong to Kishimoto.  
A/N: This is the first long chapter story I'm attempting. So keep the reviews coming to help my inspiration.**

* * *

**Buds**

It was a warm day with a slight drizzle outside. The droplets splashing against hard cement made for a soothing rhythmic sound that few would appreciate. Some students hustled into the school with umbrellas fearing the rain would mess up the hair they spent hours perfecting that morning. Others walked through it carefree ready to face the storm.

The bell rang as second period ended.

A girl wondered down the hallways of Konoha High, her long pink hair swaying from her steps. It was close to a strawberry blonde but the color was pinker and seemed impossible to be natural. She adorned a silky maroon sleeveless tee shirt and black skinny jeans. With nails painted jade to match her eyes. A lone silver necklace hung around her neck in the shape of a swirled leaf. And hanging around her hips was a beige belt that only served atheistic purposes. All in all she looked very well put together for a teenager. Her walk was not as confident as her appearance though as she hesitantly slipped down the halls.

It was her first day of high school and she didn't know anyone in the district. Her eyes carefully examined the paper in her hand, before glancing back up to find a blonde girl standing before her locker. This girl wore a simple orange tee shirt and blue jeans, not bothering to dress up for the first day of school, instead going with a casual approach. The only accessories she bared were her golden loop earrings, and her hair was drawn up neatly into a bun save for a single strand that hung next to her sapphire eye like a bang.

Ino swore her heart stopped when she saw the beautiful green eyes of the student before her. Having never experienced that fluttering feeling in her stomached before she gasped quietly and wondered what insanity had taken over her. 'I don't know her. She must be new. I would have remembered someone with pink hair.'

"Excuse me, you're standing in front of my locker." The pink hair girl accused timidly.

"Oh, sorry. What's your locker number?" Ino inquired.

"Nineteen Ninety-Five."

"Well then, I guess we're locker neighbors." Ino smiled and pointed to the locker labeled 1994. "Are you new here?"

"Yeah, my family just moved over the summer. I have to admit I don't have any friends here yet." The girl blushed slightly so that her cheeks matched her hair, while busying herself with trying the combination to her new locker.

"Well then allow me to be your first friend." Ino watched in fascination as the girl became irritated at her locked lock. "Here let me help." The blond reached over and grabbed the combination out of her new friend's hands. She then turned the knob back and forth gracefully until she jerked on the handle and the locker door swung open. "It's one turn to the right, two to the left, and one to the right again. You better learn, because I might not always be here to open your locker for you."

"Right, Thanks." The girl's emerald eyes drifted from Ino's face to the books she was carrying. The blue-eyed blonde noticed the girl wasn't very talkative and decided it would be her duty to make her open up before the year was over.

"I'm Ino by the way. What's your name?"

"Sakura." As she said this, the bell rang and Sakura quickly shoved her unneeded books in the locker. "Sorry I have to go." With that she scurried off to her next class.

'Sakura. I think I like that name. It suits her.'

* * *

Sakura had just gotten out of math class, and was now soaking her face with water in the bathroom sink. It was an awful experience that she hoped to never relive. The teacher had introduced her to her new classmates when some boy had the nerve to make a comment about her forehead, sending whispers between the girls in the back of the room. 

'It's not that big, is it?'

Water always made her feel renewed. Somehow it felt like she washed away the worries with its soothing qualities. Only able to linger in the in the girls restroom for so long, she dried her face and headed out to the cafeteria.

In the lunchroom she was greeted with loneliness. Her anxiety grew as she realized there was no one she wanted to sit with, the only people she knew were picking on her forehead. With that she decided on an empty table at the side of the room. Sakura slowly pulled her brown bag lunch from her book bag and emptied the contents. She was about to take a bite of her ham and cheese sandwich when she heard a voice.

"Hey there gloomy. What's got you looking so down?"

Sakura's head swung around, "Ino?"

"The one and only," the blonde replied cockily then sat down and in a more serious tone questioned, "Why are you sitting alone?"

"I don't think anyone likes me." Sakura whispered so softly it was hard to hear.

"That's silly. You should come and sit with me tomorrow. I'll save a special seat for you right next to me." Ino reassured. "Hey let me see your schedule, I want to see if we have any classes together." The pink hair girl fumbled through her pockets, pulled out a folded piece of green paper, and handed it to her friend.

"Humm…" the blond mumbled some before pointing out, "There! The last class, we both have English class with Mr. Hatake." Ino smiled. Sakura smiled back and Ino felt her veins pulse blissfully. Sakura's smile was beautiful; it matched her so much better than that frown she had worn before.

* * *

Sakura waited impatiently for English class. She wanted to see Ino again. The girl had been a guide for her on such a difficult day. When the time finally came she rushed down to Mr. Hatake's class scanning the room for Ino. She wasn't there yet; actually, Sakura had come to notice she had been the first student to arrive. 

"Eager to learn aren't we?" A lazy voice asked from behind her shoulder. Sakura jumped a little surprised by the closeness. The girl turned around to inspect her new teacher. He looked like no one she had ever seen before. His hair was silver but there wasn't a wrinkle on what she could see of his face. A black turtleneck rose up to cover his mouth, it was light and thin and didn't restrict or muffle his voice. A scar ran down over his left eye while his dark right eye stared droopily at the orange book he was holding.

"Ah, well I expect great things from you, Sakura Haruno." He lolled out.

"How did you know my name?"

He didn't answer but his eyes curved upwards and she assumed he was smiling underneath that shirt he used to mask himself. 'He's kind of creepy. I should keep an eye on him.' A new group of students entered the room and Sakura took a seat in the back, which wasn't really like her. She normally chose to sit up front to get a good view of the board so she could learn the best, but she didn't like the idea of being so close to her English teacher. Sakura was so wrapped up in her thoughts she hadn't noticed the girl sitting in front of her had turned around and been staring at her for the past minute.

Ino had taken the seat in front of her new friend and twisted her body to rest her elbows on Sakura's desk and placed her chin on her hands. The blonde just watched the pink haired girl zone out. Finally there was a break in the silence as Sakura awoke from her trance.

"Ino?"

"It's about time. Where were you just now?"

"Ah just thinking." Sakura was a bit embarrassed she was caught off guard like that but decided to forget about it. After all Ino was here now and that was good. "Glad to see you."

Ino's eyes lit up with that statement. She was about to invite the girl over after school when Mr. Hatake interrupted. "Hello class, if you could all face the front..." Ino shrugged then turned back to face the board.

"Good, now that I have your attention, my father's name was Mr. Hatake, you can call me Kakashi. Despite the gray hair I'm not that old."

A kid in the front row slowly raised his hand after the statement.

"Yes, Shikamaru?" Kakashi called. This kid seemed unfazed the teacher had known his name and questioned, "So how old _are_ you?"

"I'm 26."

'Wow, he is really young. He could have only gotten out of college 4 years ago.' Sakura added this new information to the data file on him in her head. He went on to discus the literature they'd be focusing on during the year, projects, tests, and procedure.

"Alright, You've probably had a tiring day take the last few minutes to relax and get to know your new classmates." With that Kakashi concluded his speech.

"Oi, Shikamaru!" Ino called across the room until the curious boy from earlier decided to get up and mosey his way over to her.

When he finally arrived he firmly planted his ass on top of Ino's desk. She glared at him for a second and then moved on to introduce the two present. "Sakura, this is Shikamaru Nara, my next door neighbor. Shika, this is Sakura, my new best friend."

"Hi." Sakura greeted. The Nara boy decided to just nod in response, obviously trying to avoid a long conversation.

"Ick, Ignore him." Ino snorted at his rudeness. "So, are you doing anything after school? Because I was thinking you could walk home with me, and we could get to know each other better."

"Oh, no, I'm not doing anything. I suppose I'll have to give my mom a call and let her know I won't be home until late."

The girls headed to their lockers as the dismissal bell rang, trading in their books for their backpacks. Ino handed over her cell phone and waited by the door for Sakura to finish her call. When she hung up she joined the blonde handing the cell phone back to its owner and giving a cheery smile as an okay for their plans together.

"Hope you don't mind getting wet." Ino grinned back and linked her elbow around Sakura's as they marched out the doors of the school together side by side into the rainstorm.

* * *

_End Chapter 1._


	2. Hurricanes & Heartbeats

**Chapter: 2/?  
Summary: An alternative universe fan fiction where the Naruto gang is in high school, focusing on the ups and downs of Sakura and Ino's relationship.  
Disclaimer: One time I owned Naruto, but then I woke up. After realizing that Naruto and all of it's character's belonged to Kishimoto I cried.  
A/N: This chapter was such a drag to get through, but now I feel like I'm over the hump so onto chapter 3. R&R please.  
And it totally pissed me off that wouldn't load my superscript from Word. So when you see random numbers in the middle of the story, it's means there's a little note down at the bottom if you care to look.  
**

* * *

**Hurricanes & Heartbeats**

Following in Ino's tracks Sakura raced through the downpour. Being weighed down by her drenched clothes made it difficult for the girl to keep up. With chattering teeth Sakura mentally scolded herself for destroying her new clothes in less than a day, a new record. As the blonde turned another corner pulling Sakura along by the hand, she showed no intention of slowing down. Eventually the pink haired girl stopped breathless, causing Ino to turn around and examine her friend.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just figured what's the point of running if we're soaked anyway?"

A chuckle escaped Ino's mouth before she responded. "Yeah you're right. And we only have a block left to my house, so you want to walk?"

She nodded and they both made their way down the street trying to enjoy the searing pain of freezing rain on their skin.

* * *

Puddles covered the floor of the foyer. Sakura hadn't even looked through the curtain of dripping pink hair when the distinct smell of flowers hit her nose. Her hands rose to wipe the strands out of her vision so that she could have a better view of the flower shop she had landed in. Beautiful vibrant colors invaded the sanctuary of her mind and overtook in the absence of the dreary skies outside.

Sakura took an appreciative sniff. "Flowers?"

"Yeah, my dad owns the shop. I help out after school, but since you're over he'll give me a break."

"Does your mom work here too?" Sakura inquired about the family business.

"She used to. She passed away when I was young."

"Oh." Sakura didn't have time to think of what to say when Ino took her hand to drag her behind the counter and up the stairs. On the second floor was a family sized loft that Ino and her dad clearly inhabited. Hanging over the sofa laid a man's trench coat and hat. The other side held a Teen Magazine with a purple hairbrush on top, fine blond hairs laced into the bristles. Having taken to long to examine her surroundings, Sakura found herself being shoved towards the bathroom by an impatient Ino.

"I'll get you some clothes to change into." Ino announced as she flipped on the lights and closed her friend inside the room. While waiting the pink haired girl inspected her face in the mirror, glad she had decided against wearing makeup today. She wasn't in the mood to deal with runny eyeliner. Her body shivered again and she decided to strip out of her shirt, tossing it recklessly on the floor. The strawberry pink bra she had worn had become see-through after being saturated with water. Determining it to be un-wearable and uncomfortable Sakura reached to her back to unhook it. She let the thin material plummet to the floor as her breasts were exposed to the cool air.

The door cracked open and Sakura used her arms to cover her chest.

"Sorry, I didn't realize you were already getting undressed. Um here, I thought these would fit." Ino tossed the pile of clothes at the girl, trying to control her eyes from traveling across the expanse of bare skin before her, to no avail. Ruffled at her own reactions Ino hastily slammed the door shut. Cheeks flushed she leaned against it to calm down and clear her head. The only idea that seemed suitable was to go about like nothing occurred and figure this whole thing out later. Ino headed back to her room to change.

Sakura emerged from the bathroom in an overly large white tee shirt and a pair of gray Soffee1 shorts.

"They're not the biggest fashion statement, but they're dry." Sakura reveled in her new clothing. The blonde had been waiting on the couch in a purple tank top and matching pajama pants.

"Glad you like them. You might have to sleep over, the storm's getting pretty harsh." As if on cue the sky cracked with a bright flash. Seconds following came a rolling thunder dissipating in the howling wind.

"Sounds good, you don't mind having me do you?" Her instincts told her to avoid the weather, but she hadn't known Ino long and wanted to be polite in this situation.

"Don't even worry about it." Ino reassured cheerfully. "My dad will be glad to have you around, it will give him someone new to annoy."

Ino beckoned her friend to sit next to her. Being a good hostess she flipped the television on to a music station and offered Sakura a blanket. The pink haired girl accepted and scooted closer to Ino so that they could drape the fabric upon both bodies. The beat of the music became a soothing background noise as the two became lethargic from the tiresome events of the day. Exhaustion quickly overtook Sakura as she fell asleep against Ino's shoulder in a cozy embrace. Ino noted the hot breath hitting her skin, but the sleeping girl made her feel at peace. She could recall their hearts beating in harmony as her eyelids became heavy and leisurely closed her gap of sight.

* * *

"Wakey. Wakey." A singsong voice sounded from the kitchen. "You girls don't want to starve to death from missing my delicious home-cooked dinner do you?"

"Mhmm Dad. Do you always have to be so dramatic?" Ino muttered as she was awakened to the daytime world.

Sakura nuzzled herself back to life from the warm shoulder that had been her pillow. Panicking a bit, it took a few seconds for her to realize where she was. Snapped to attention, she sat up straight and took in the man before her. He was about 5'9 and had the same blond hair and blue eyes as Ino. It took most of her restraints to keep from laughing when she saw his pink "Mr. Mom" apron.

"Hi, Mr. Yamanaka.2" She greeted him.

"Hello there, I don't believe I've met you before. Can it be that my teenage daughter is embarrassed of me and won't let me meet her friends? Am I not cool enough?"

"Dad." Ino shook her head at his antics. "This is Sakura. I just met her today. And why would I be embarrassed of an eccentric father?"

"Oh no, insulting your own father. You're going through your rebellious phase aren't you!?" He accused walking back to the kitchen to finish preparing the meal.

She turned to Sakura who had been quiet throughout their interaction. "He's just kidding. He has a strange sense of humor."

* * *

The weather was still brewing outside as they finished up their mouthwatering, oh-so-tasty, fabulous, delectable, world-class, scrumptious, to-die-for dinner. (In the words of Mr. Yamanaka of course.) The clock read 8:12 when Ino let the last of the dishes clank together in the sink. "Done." She made directly for her room, Sakura trailing the flowing wisps of blonde hair into a violet chamber. Not only were the walls saturated in lavender but also the blankets covering her bed as well as the carpet.

"So I guess purple's your favorite color." Sakura commented on the color palette.

"Yeah. What's yours? Pink? You dyed your hair pink."

"Um, no, actually my favorite color is red. And I didn't dye my hair… this is it's natural color. I'm a genetic freak." Displeasure was soaked in Sakura's voice at the last sentence.

"I think it's beautiful." Ino whispered just loud enough to cause a blush on Sakura's cheeks. Then gaining confidence she motioned the girl over to her, "Come here."

The green-eyed girl sat next to Ino on the edge of her bed. Scooting behind her, Ino ran her fingers through the pink hair. They entwined themselves in the silken cherry locks, fingers twisting their way past strands to wrap in others. Back and forth Ino's hands moved delicately over Sakura's scalp. When the blond had finished, Sakura found her hair in a loose fitting braid. She turned to face the girl that had manipulated her hair into it's current form and reached past the side of Ino's face grabbing at the ponytail that held the blond tresses tightly in place and tenderly pulled it out, letting it collapse against her back. Liking the way it looked naturally, Sakura preferred not to style Ino's hair.

Happy about the new connection she felt with the other girl Ino pulled Sakura back with her as she stretched out on the bed. Lying next to each other they spent the next few hours talking about whatever they fancied.

* * *

"I'd say we should stay up late and make prank phone calls, but we have to go to school tomorrow." Ino's wicked side mused.

"Ah, that's right. I can't wear my clothes even if they've dried. They were completely ruined in the rain today."

"Relax, I'll lend you some. You're about the same size as me so just look through my closet, pick something out, and see if it fits."

"Thanks. You're a life saver, you know that?"

When Sakura opened the doors of Ino's closet she wasn't prepared for the miles of clothes that stretched before her. The girl could clothe a third world country if she wanted to. Purple and blue hues dominated the expanse of the closet, so when Sakura saw a speck of sea foam green she was immediately drawn to it. After pulling the article out of the closet she realized it was a picturesque summer dress.

"Oh, I have white sandals that match that perfect!" Ino exclaimed being the fashion guru she was. "And I have a jean jacket that would look nice, incase it's still raining tomorrow. Why don't you try it on while I search for them?"

The dress fit flawlessly, Sakura noted that it matched her eyes perfectly as well. She slipped back into the white tee shirt. Leaving the bathroom the pink haired girl felt a yawn creeping it's way up her throat.

The blond caught on to Sakura's weariness the moment she returned to the room. "So you can sleep on the sofa or I could sleep on the sofa and give you the bed or you can sleep in the bed with me if you don't mind."

Not wanting to burden Ino with sleeping on the couch, or sleeping alone on it herself she opted for the third option. "Let's share the bed."

They climbed beneath the sheets and Sakura automatically cuddled up to Ino, draping her arm across her friend's waist. An affectionate smile stretched to the corners of Ino's face as she flicked the light on the nightstand off, so that darkness engulfed the room.

"Ino?"

"Yes?"

"Do you miss your mother?" Sakura's voice asked in a soft murmur, treading over a brittle subject.

"Sometimes. I was so little when she died I have trouble remembering her as a part of my life. But sometimes when I close my eyes I can see a picture of her face. She was always happy." Ino reminisced. "You know her and my dad bought the shop together. It was her dream. They started out with nothing, day by day they added a new flower, a rose, a daisy, a lily, a tulip, until the shop was full of every different color. My dad used to tell me that story. He said when Mom first told him the idea he didn't want to work with a bunch of flowers, but as she grew on him so did they. Now you couldn't pay him to work anyplace else. This place reminds him of Mom, it's their own little fairy tale." Ino's thoughtful words trailed off.

"Thank you." Sakura's soft voice broke the silence.

"For what?" Ino inquired.

"For that beautiful fairy tale."

"Goodnight Sakura."

"Goodnight Ino."

* * *

_End Chapter 2._

**1**Soffe is just a clothing brand. They're very comfortable. XD

**2**How does she know Ino's last name? Well I didn't put it in the story, but she learned it when Kakashi took roll call. Ino learned Sakura's family name the same way.


	3. Sunspots

**Title: Four Years for Love  
Chapter: 3/?  
Summary: An alternative universe fan fiction where the Naruto gang is in high school, focusing on the ups and downs of Sakura and Ino's relationship.  
Disclaimer: I keep Ino and Sakura in a box under my bed. I feed them everyday and take very good care of them.  
A/N: Sorry this took so long. I was waiting for my friend to help me edit it. Plus I've been fangirling Bleach to my fullest. Grimmjow love.  
**

**I drew a picture for this chapter. You can find a link to my Deviantart on my profile page, and from there it's the featured picture titled Sundress.**

**Oh, and if there's any confusion. They're in an american public school, because that's the only type of school system I know. I can't put them in Japan if I don't know anything about it there right? So... no uniforms, Yay!  
**

* * *

**Sunspots**

Once Ino was dressed and ready she stepped out to find Sakura and her father eating the breakfast banquet set out on the table. Waffles, syrup, fruit, juice, milk, doughnuts and coffee, her dad really out did himself this time. He was a real show off, most mornings she'd have to grab herself a bowl of cereal and some burnt toast.

"Well somebody took a long time to wake up today." Her dad mused in a teasing voice.

"We were waiting for you," then Sakura joined along with Mr. Yamanaka, "We thought that if you took long enough in the shower the water would become cold and you'd come running out freezing." A minuscule devilish smirk appeared on the pink-haired girls face.

"I took the time, since there was plenty of it, to show Sakura all of your embarrassing baby pictures." He lied trying to get a rise out of his daughter.

Sakura followed his lead, "You made the funniest faces." She proceeded to scrunch her face up and squish her cheeks together.

"Dad! Sakura! This isn't any fair. I'm a little late and you two choose to mock me?" Ino knew her father was lying about the baby pictures; she just wanted to split up the two partners in crime. However she was glad they got along, maybe just a little to well. They finished up the rest of their hearty breakfast with Ino sitting right between the troublemakers.

Ino's eyes wandered over to the clock. "We should get going." So with a content belly she grabbed her book bag and waited for Sakura to follow her lead. Sakura's pale hands reach to gather her belongs and roll them into her other words empty backpack.

"Oh no you don't!" Mr. Yamanaka called out from the kitchen. "You'll burn with your fair skin. The sun is unbearable today!" Lots of clanging and banging could be heard from the depths of the apartment before Ino's father returned with an old straw hat. He swung it through the air a couple of times letting the dust fly off to settle on the ground. "Here you go, sweetie." He placed the bonnet on top of pink hair before smiling satisfied with his work.

"Ugh Dad, I can't believe you're going to make Sakura wear that ugly thing." Ino complained at her father's involvement.

"That 'ugly thing' was your mother's." The blond sighed before accepting her fate to be tortured by her father's antics. Grabbing Sakura's arm she fled downstairs to the store before her dad could come back with another hat for her.

"Sorry about that." She apologized for her father's behavior.

"Oh, it's alright. I kind of like the hat. The yellow ribbon on it matches the one on the dress." Sakura smiled merrily about it, as Ino's face displayed a critical frown.

"Well, here." Ino picked a colorful blossom from one of the clay pots. Her hands wandered up to her mother's old hat where she stuck the flower into the wraps of the ribbon. "At least it has some color now."

They headed outside together and were thankful to see that the day had done a one eighty since last night. The ground was still damp and puddles spotted the streets but the sky shone with unmatched beauty. Sunlight had covered everything from buildings to blades of grass with a tint of glistening yellow. Pink surrounded the clouds farthest from the massive star. The water glittered as it reflected with radiance. Pale hues glowed with reverence towards the sun. The morning was honoring its hero with a beautiful ceremony and gracing mankind by exposing it to their eyes.

"You look really great in that dress." Ino commented offhandedly, while her heart did jumping jacks. Sakura just nodded and smiled accepting the compliment benevolently. She had no idea how gorgeous she looked against the scenery.

They walked to school in comfortable silence basking in the splendor of the day.

* * *

Ridding her book bag of her demolished clothes she shoved them into the bottom of her locker before retrieving her books. She and Ino had split ways just some moments ago. This was Sakura's first visit to her locker for the day and she was eager to relieve herself of the extra weight she had been dragging around. 

She arrived in homeroom to listen to the announcements drag on over the loudspeaker. She listened absentmindedly. "Good morning students and welcome back to your second day of a wonderful new school year. Please stand for a moment of silence and the pledge to the flag." Everyone in the classroom rose simultaneously and waited indifferently for the pledge to begin, at which point they placed their hands limply over their hearts and mumbled the familiar dictum. A second or so after everyone was settled back in their seats the broadcast continued. "All seniors are to report to the assembly in the auditorium today after homeroom. Anyone interested in band, chorus or orchestra should report to the front lobby after school today. If you plan to participate in a sports team you must have a physical signed, come by the front office to pick up information. The boy's football team meets after school on the back field. The girl's soccer team meets tomorrow on the soccer field. The track teams meet Thursday after school in the main gym. This year's school play will be Hamlet. Tryouts start next week Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Anyone that wants to take a part of Student Congress should meet in room 304 next Monday after homeroom. GSA's first meeting will also be after homeroom on Monday in room 306. Those are all the announcements we have for this time. Have a nice day."

'That was a long list. But I guess that's normal since it's the beginning of the year and all the clubs are just starting. Maybe I should tryout for a sport or join Student Congress.' Sakura contemplated to herself.

* * *

Sakura's eyes scanned the large cafeteria for a blonde with yellow shirt. Ino had picked out one of her brighter outfits to wear this morning. When she finally spotted what she was looking for it was not who she expected. No this bright yellow belong to a boy with sparkling blue eyes and whisker like scars on his cheeks. She found it odd and decided to inquire about it once she met someone who knew the boy. Perhaps Ino would know, after all the girl had given her the impression of knowing everyone the way she sauntered down the hallway waving to each person nearby. She went back to searching for her friend who was currently nowhere in sight. This was frustrating. Before she could walk down the aisles of tables to the other side to get a new perspective, two hands suddenly pounced down on her shoulders. Reflexes forced Sakura's body to stiffen. The student relaxed recognizing the grip from the person that invaded her personal space. 

"Ino."

"Hey Pinky," Ino made the nickname up on the spot as she greeted Sakura.

"Pinky?" The pink haired girl mulled over the term.

"At least I'm not calling you Forehead-girl like the rest of the school." The blonde retorted at Sakura's apprehension of the name.

"They're calling me what?!" Sakura's voice shrieked as she reached up to hide her brow.

"Oh gezz, calm down. Nobody's said that." Ino hadn't realized she had just picked on one of Sakura's insecurities. "Come on let's go sit down at the table." Ino said to quickly change the subject alleviating the green-eyed girl's stress.

When they arrived green eyes gazed at the array of students sitting there. The blonde instantly called notice as she proclaimed, "Hey everyone! This is Sakura Haruno, and you better be nice to her!

She pointed to the boy in the seat next to the two empty ones at the end meant for them. The boy had a bored looked on his face as he poked at his tray of food. His black eyes matched his black hair that was drawn back into a short ponytail. Each of his hears had a gold loop earring.

"You know Shikamaru from yesterday, and next to him is Chouji. Those two have been friends since kindergarten." Chouji also seemed focused on his food, but in a much happier way than Shikamaru. This kid was chowing down like there was no tomorrow.

Ino's finger moved to point at a girl with dark blue hair and light sapphire almost white eyes. "And across from you is Hinata. She's really shy and quiet."

"Hi Sakura, nice to meet you." Hinata timidly welcomed trying her best to extend friendship to the newcomer.

Moving down the line, Ino's finger came to a girl with brown hair and warm brown eyes who was avidly chatting to the dirty blonde next to her. "And that's Tenten and she's a lesbian."

At this Tenten snapped and turned to Ino to shout, "I am not a lesbian! Stop telling people that. I like a boy anyway."

"Yeah, Neji and he looks like a girl anyway so it's just as good as being a lesbian." Ino retorted smugly.

"Shut up!" The blond moved on to her next subject.

"That's Temari. She doesn't live in this district. Temari came to our school because we have a good division soccer team. She's team captain and up for a scholarship too. Plus she's Tenten's girlfriend." The girl seemingly ignored the comment, being to above it to respond. However the same couldn't be said for the brunette.

"You know I can hear you Ino." Tenten scowled, a murderous tenor in her voice.

Ino giggled as she sat down between Sakura and Shikamaru, the two she consider to be her closest friends.

Twisting the plastic fork between her fingers as she poked it at the unappetizing cafeteria food, Sakura contemplated the question currently occupying her mind.

"Um…" Sakura started to ask Ino but stopped herself.

"What? Something wrong?"

It was too late to turn back now. "Well, I saw this boy earlier and I was wondering if you knew who he was."

"Go on, describe him." Ino prodded, curiosity making her impatient.

"Short spiky blonde hair. Blue eyes. And there were three scars across each of his cheeks."

"Oh! You mean Naruto." The blond exclaimed. Hinata went on full attention to the conversation when she heard the boy's name.

"Naruto?" Sakura seemed to test the name out on her lips.

"That kid is unbelievable. He always finds away to get himself in trouble."

"Ino, that's not very nice. Naruto's not that bad." Hinata added defending the boy.

"Yeah, he's a loudmouth, a goof and a class clown, but he's a real nice kid. Why do you think he's cute?" Ino winked and nudged Sakura on.

"No, it's not that. I was wondering how he got those scars."

Ino's normally loud and boisterous voice became soft and quiet. "I don't know. He's never said anything about them." Somehow, with no knowledge, it still perceived as a fragile topic.

* * *

End Chapter 3. 


End file.
